


The Better Brother

by espark



Category: The Battle of Polytopia (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Twins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:14:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27919573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/espark/pseuds/espark
Summary: Written for the Polytopia Art Gallery discord server





	The Better Brother

I woke up, squeezed between jagged stone and darkness. I struggled to my feet, pebbles cascading over me. I coughed in the dust. 

Why was the space so tight? 

I shoved and the rock tumbled away, spilling harsh light into my face. I squinted and couldn’t believe what I saw.

Green hills and fertile orchards were spread around me, but everything was so small. Apple trees that came up to my shoulders and horses the size of dogs, and a tiny person no taller than my knee.

I blinked, not trusting my eyes, but the miniature world remained.

Then the puny person spoke, the voice squeaky and weak, like a mouse. “Welcome, Giant. You fight for your Imperius now. Hoodrick is the enemy. Do your duty and fight for your tribe.”

I rubbed my forehead. “My tribe?”

The little person rolled his eyes and shouted as if saying it louder would make me understand. He pointed to himself, then to me. “We are blue.”

I looked down at my clothes which had turned a shade of royal blue. How?

Then the little man pointed away. “Brown is the enemy.” He paused, then added, “Don’t fuck up.“

Now I understood. This was the Eternal Struggle. This is what I’d been searching for.

Moments ago, my brother and I had stood before the shimmering portal, ready to cross the veil. My brother had stepped forward, but I had lunged ahead. 

I had grinned at him. “I go first, I’m the oldest.” Sure, I was only older by four minutes, but I never let my twin brother forget it. 

“Asshole,” my brother had fumed, which had made my smile grow. Pissing him off was fun.

I’d laughed. “You know I’m the better brother.” Then I’d stepped through the veil, eager for might and glory.

The mousy man pointed again. “Seize the Hoodrick capital, the big city in the forest.”

I nodded and strode towards the patchwork of brown and green, like a quilt spread across the ground. The smells of mulch and oak were familiar, even if the scale of forest was not. 

As I entered the trees, some riders in brown on top of small horned beasts charged. The riders rushed at me, their matchstick spears aimed at my heart.

Before they could strike, I swatted them away, snapping their necks instantly. I laughed and shook my head. Pathetic.

I strode through the short trees, their branches brushing against my waist. Arrows the size of needles poked at my arms and legs, but I brushed them away. Then, I saw the city, toy houses stacked one on top of another. 

As I entered the city, swatting away another pathetic warrior, tiny flames erupted at my feet. All too easy.

Suddenly, I was thrust back, strong hands shoving me out of the toy city.

Dazed, I looked into eyes, eyes at my own height, eyes that mirrored my own. My brother was standing in the city and he was wearing brown.

For a moment I was stunned. Did the Eternal Struggle mean fighting my twin? 

My brother sneered. “Ready or not, here I come.” 

More tiny arrows pierced my body, one lodging under a rib. The pain was tiny but fierce, like a bee sting. Then my brother punched me in the gut, making me double over. I struggled for breath and struck back, knocking him in the knee cap. 

Doubts pressed in on me. I realized I wouldn’t be able to take the city with my brother as its protector. What else could I do?

From the rolling plains, I saw small siege engines draped in blue, inching towards the forest. I sucked in a breath and waved. “Here. Over here!” If reinforcements got here quickly, I might have a chance. 

Then, another arrow lodged in my side, piercing my lung. The pain was too much to ignore. Blood rose in my throat. I fought for breath and tasted iron. 

I turned to see my brother, grinning at me. 

I gurgled, “Please. Don’t do this. We are brothers.”

My brother grinned back at me and slammed his fist into my face. “But I am the better brother.”


End file.
